


Saving Capt. Kate

by MarikaFromCincy



Category: New Mutants (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24658543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarikaFromCincy/pseuds/MarikaFromCincy
Summary: Kitty Pryde is seemingly the only mutant Krakoa will not bring back to life. Illyana Rasputin will not stand for that.
Relationships: Danielle Moonstar/Rahne Sinclair, Kitty Pryde/Illyana Rasputin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. The Disappearance

**Author's Note:**

> I am really caught up in the current Dawn of X comics and I really feel like Illyana needs to react to the events of Marauders #6. I guess also spoilers for parts of the current comics. This is my first Katyana fic, hope you all like it.

The Summers household was sitting down for another peaceful meal on the Blue Area of the Moon. A few members had recently been off doing questionable and possibly shady things, but none of that had been discussed yet, not before the steaks were served.

“Mom,” Rachel stated seriously at Jean from across the table. “Don’t pour the wine.” 

Blue-white flames appeared in a circle behind them all in the living room. 

“Oh, fuck,” Cable called sounding slightly amused. 

Illyana Rasputin emerged from their floor. She had managed to keep her darkchilde form at bay but her elderitch armor had fully formed across her chest and down her right arm that firmly held her soulsword.

“Magik, as your follow champion I am asking you to stand down,” Scott stated as he stood from the table and took a few steps toward her. 

“Pilger, fucking Nebraska!?” Magik yelled, her accent thickening covering up the rising emotions in her voice. “That was all you told me about the last time we meet. I had been off-world for weeks. My entire team had no idea what had happened here. But you were the only other person I talked to and you didn’t say a thing,”

“That is an unfair conclusion, Magik,” Scott stated.

She simply growled at him. 

“Kid’s right, Slim,” Wolverine chimed in as he got up from the table and walked toward Magik. “I don’t get what all this secret keepin’ is about. ‘Specially not now. Kate ain’t X-Force. Her former crewmates, former teammates, former students, friends, they got a right to know what’s happened to her.” 

Cyclops kept his eyes on Logan and Illyana and exhaled heavily. 

“Yes,” Rachel busted into the conversation abruptly. “They need to know.”

“Rachel?” Jean stated as she held her hands out in front of her. 

Prestige laughed darkly as she tapped her temple. “Oh, try me, Mom. I’ve been listening to everyone Wolverine mentioned crying out for days. Maybe you haven’t heard them because you are too engrained in your Xavier-brand bullshit, but someone needs to end this suffering. So, bye parents. Get me away from them, Illyana.” 

Though it was an unnecessary show of force, Illyana swung her soulsword above her head, thrust it to the sky and struck it down toward the ground as a stepping disc appeared and transported the three of them into the center common room of the Sextant. 

Dani, Rahne, and Doug started awake around them. The two women were entangled with each other on the couch while Cipher had been sleeping on the armchair. A movie neither Rachel nor Wolverine recognized played on the television in front of them. 

“Dirty Dancing?” Illyana questioned her fellow New Mutants. “Really?” 

“Ack, come on, ‘Yana,” Rahne stated only half awake. “You know it was one of her favorite’s,” she stated as she sleepily leaned her head back against Dani’s chest. 

“Was?!” Illyana scowled at her with the demon teeth to prove it. The darkchilde horns and tail emerged for a moment but they quickly disappeared back into Illyana’s human form. She audibly groaned through her clenched teeth as she left the common room and headed down the hall to her bedroom. 

She slammed the door shut and began to sob as she struggled to suppress the darkchilde. She slid down against her door and pushed her back against it. She pressed her hands against her face as hard as she could. How had this happened again? How had Katya disappeared without a trace for a second time? But this was different, Katya was different. Illyana sobbed into her hands, but she wasn’t that different. She had once sacrificed everything to save the planet from a giant bullet, she had probably done something equally as stupid this time. 

But this time there was a pain in Illyana’s—well soul wasn’t the right word, for she no longer had one of those --- but there was an intense pain where her’s should have been. She knew somehow that it was undeserved, that it was not some self-sacrificing act. It was something stupid, something brutal and stupid. 

There was a loud knock on her door. She quickly got up and turned to peer at the door, but she did not go to open it. 

“Ilya,” she heard Dani call compassionately. “You have visitors. They are here about Kitty.” 

At the mention of her name, Illyana stepped forward and pulled the door open. Dani was standing at the front with Bishop and Kurt beside her while Rachel and Wolverine were standing behind them. 

“How’d you know I was here?” she questioned them. 

Rachel sighed heavily from her spot in the hallway behind them. “Like I said, I been listening to people cry out for days. These two among them.”

“Why didn’t you just port in?” she asked her follow teleporter. 

Kurt sadly smiled. “People grieve in different ways, liebling.”

Illyana nodded at him. She left her door open and walked further into her room and sat on the edge of her bed. 

“This whole thing makes no sense to me,” Bishop told Magik seriously as she looked up from her bedroom floor at him. 

“Why?” Illyana asked. 

“Me and the rest of the crew sailed on that ship with her for months. It sank with her on it,” Bishop shook his head, “someone had to do something to it. She’s too good a captain and too strong a mutant to let her ship sink and to drown from it.” 

“What you gettin’ at, Bishop?” Wolverine asked. 

Rachel scoffed from the hallway but finally entered the room. “It’s it obvious. There is only one thing Kitty can’t fight off.” 

“Krakoan tech?” Dani asked, confused. 

Rachel simply shrugged in response. 

Kurt sighed heavily. “I must agree with Prestige. I think it might be a follow Krakoan that took out Kitty.”

“What am I to do?” Illyana asked desperately.

“Port through time?” Dani stated with a shrug, staring at Kitty’s crew members. “That is what you want, right? I know it is never that accurate but as long as Magik arrives on the Marauder or the ship Kitty was sailing to the Island of M before it is scuttled, she could save her.” 

“Or at least see who did it,” Bishop added. 

Illyana huffed at him. “I am going to save, Katya.” 

Everyone was silent for a moment. 

“I believe in you, kid,” Wolverine grumbled. “Go and bring her back. For all of us.”


	2. The Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illyana finds Captain Kate Pryde and then they get to spend some time alone in the South Pacific.

Illyana sat crossed legged on the floor of her darkened room for a long time. _“Port through time?”_ Dani had said so causally. She, like the rest of the New Mutants, and Illyana herself knew just how unpredictable that part of her powers were. It did not matter how much she practiced or how long she studied under the Sorcerer Supreme. As he had told her, some skills are meant to never be fully mastered. But she really, really wished that was not the case for this task. She needed to land at a specific location at a specific time or she would be losing…

 _“Nyet,”_ she whispered under her breath. 

She rolled her shoulders, inhaled deeply, and formed a stepping disk around her hoping to travel to the ship Kitty was sailing to the Island of M somewhere in the South Pacific four days ago. 

She landed on the deck of the ship and the sudden change in light hurt her eyes for a moment. She gave them a moment to adjust and then peered out onto the blue-green water and spotted vegetation covered mountains in the distance. Madripoor she assumed.

The deck seemed completely empty. Illyana heard a familiar call above her and held out her hands. She called out in disgust as a slimey dead fish instead of a dragon landed in her hands. The dragon landed on her shoulder and made a noise that seemed to be mocking her. 

“Stupid dragon,” Illyana stated annoyed. But then she reached a hand up and patted him on the back of the head. He had also been on the ship when Kitty disappeared. Illyana assumed that if anyone even remembered to think of him, he was also presumed dead less than a week in the future. “Where is she?” 

Lockheed reached his neck out toward the door in the middle of deck, which Illyana could only assume led to the lower deck. It did and she followed the stairs and the entered the hallway, turning into what appeared to be the kitchen area based on Lockheed’s instruction. The dragon instantly flew off her shoulder and landed on Kitty’s once she came into their view. 

_Ah fuck,_ Illyana though to herself as Kitty slowly turned around to face her. She had seen in her so many outfits from the time she was her roommate util the last time she had really spoken to her in person, shortly after her ill-fated wedding. She had been in her uniform then. She looked so much better in her blue collared shirt with a crazy deep v-neck, dramatic red jacket, and black tights mostly covered by leather boots that went up to her mid thighs. An elegant sword was hanging from a thick leather belt, with an X-shaped belt buckle. Even the bandaged nose and slightly blacken eye were causing something to rise inside of Illyana.

“’Yana!” Kitty yelled as she ran toward her and threw her arms around her, causing Lockheed to squeak and fly away in annoyance. “My god, what are you doing here?” she stated as she hugged her tightly. Illyana returned the gesture, hiding the tears rising in her chest. “Last I heard you were in a Shi’har prison.” 

She shrugged. “I got out.” 

Kitty laughed as she placed a hand on the side of her face. Illyana leaned into it, despite knowing that she was kidding herself about what it really meant. She doubted Kitty, Kate, the Red Queen would ever love her the way she wanted. Sure they had fooled around a bit as innocent kids, they had drunkenly kissed a few times in their twenties, and she had not married her brother, but Illyana had never felt like whoever the love of her life was currently would ever be ready to fully commit to her. 

“And then I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Illyana added.

Kate gave a grumbly sigh at Illyana, which made the Russian smile slightly. “They didn’t put you up to this, did they?” 

“They who?” 

Kate threw her hands up in exasperation. “My crew. Practically Storm, Bishop, and Bobby. They have been babysitting me like I am some fragile little bird that can’t take care of myself. And I was literally leading their team for months before Krakoa was a thing and I’m the same person I was then and those stupid gates don’t defy anything,” she finished angrily as she grabbed a whiskey bottle of the counter, tossed the cap aside, and took a long swig. 

So many emotions were running through Illyana’s mind. She decided to focus on the one that kept popping to the forefront the most. 

“This entire look, this new you it is incredibly hot…Kate,” Illyana stated peering over to meet eyes with her. 

The Red Queen blushed and shrugged as she awkwardly laughed. “You don’t need to call me that.” 

“Why?” the sorceress asked innocently. “You are making everyone else do it. Your crew told me.” 

“Yeah,” she replied with a shrug. “But you aren’t part of my crew.” 

Illyana shot her a smug grin. “You just want me to keep calling you Katya. Don’t you, Katya?” she told and took a step toward her. 

Kitty set down the whiskey bottle and took a few steps toward Illyana closing the gap between them. Illyana kept her hands firmly at her sides. She didn’t want to overstep her bounds; she didn’t want to freak Kitty out. She had loved her for so long, for years. But she had never told her, and she didn’t know how she possibly could now without freaking her out and losing her forever.

“God, I’ve fucking missed you,” Kitty whispered as she ran her hands up her shoulder, onto her neck, and entangled them into her loose blonde hair. Kitty gentled pulled the Russian toward her. “You have no idea, now long I’ve wanted to kiss you.”

“Oh Katya,” Illyana stated with a dark laugh, “I’ve wanted to for longer.” 

“Yeah?” Kate asked, with a level of confidence that took Illyana be surprise. “Prove it to me then.” 

Illyana groaned in excitement and pressed her lips firmly against Kitty’s, but after a few seconds she melted into her passion and let the slightly older and suddenly so much more confident mutant take over. 

Kitty lead her over to the cushioned bench beside the table that Kitty promptly pushed away. She straddled Illyana as she laid on her back on the bench. 

She laughed in amusement. “Umm,” Illyana stated as she raised her hips to run them along Kitty’s. “You think you are ready to take control of this, Katya?” 

Kitty placed her hands around Illyana’s wrists and focused them to the cushion below her. She forced her knee between Illyana’s legs as she leaned down at kissed her neck a few times before biting at her earlobe. 

The sorceress arched up against the phaser. She laughed. “You want to question my control, anymore?” the phaser whispered slowly into her ear. 

_“Nyet, nyet.”_

“Good,” Kitty said quietly, as she phased her hand through Illyana’s uniform and underwear and began making work of the wetness she found beneath them. 

Kitty then proceeded to fuck her in every possible sense of the word. It was rougher and deeper, but also more passionate, loving, and caring then it had ever been before. When Illyana had recovered from her mind being completely blown, she attempted to recreate the feeling for Katya. She doubted that she had succeeded but the captain kept insisting on take more and more layers on clothing off. So, when Illyana awoke in the morning light it was with her arms around a fully naked Kitty. She kept her eyes closed and oozed herself closer to her lover’s sleeping form. 

There was only a thin blanket haphazardly tossed over them. Illyana had no idea where it had come from, but she was thankfully for it regardless. They were currently alone on the ship, but with the versatility of the Krakoan gateways they could be unexpectedly joined at any moment. 

Kitty groaned as she turned, forcing herself against Illyana, who smiled in delight and ran her hand through her hair. She had definitely gotten in chemically straightened since they last time she had been allowed to run her hand through it but the braid she had it in the day before had left it a perfectly, wavy mess. Kitty met her eyes and shot her a lopsided smile. 

“Why are you here, Ilya?” Kitty as she placed soft kisses against her neck, jawline, and finally on her lips. 

Illyana had to take a moment to catch her breath. “I told you, Katya. I got out of prison and I wanted to see you.” 

Kate scoffed to herself and shook her head against the pillow and Illyana’s shoulder. “No,” Kate stated confidently. “As goddamn romantic as that sounds, you haven’t come to see me in months.” 

Illyana sighed heavily as she cupped the side of her face. “Katya.”

The brunette nodded. “I know that’s not fully fair. I’m not on Krakoa as often as everyone else is, but we were there as the same time at least a few times and I didn’t come to see you either.” 

“Why not?” Illyana asked. 

She laughed as she ran through recently tattooed fingers through her own hair. “What was I supposed to say to you, Yana? ‘Oh sorry to bother you from whatever demonic ritual you are about to do, I just wanted to let you know I’m really glad you pulled me aside from my own bachelorette party to confirm all the fears I’ve had since I was 13 that I’m actually more in love with you than I have ever been with Piotr. And though it was super embarrassing, I’m really glad you stopped me from making the worst decision of my life and hurting your brother more than I already have’.” 

Illyana peered at her with a stunned expression. “What?” she uttered so quietly it was barely audible. 

Kitty sighed and shrugged as she reached out and ran her hand alongside her face and neck. “Jesus, Yana, you had not realized that?” 

The Russian shook her head. “No, that…that cannot be true. You’re lying or pandering or…” Illyana peered into her eyes seriously. Though she was attempting to decipher Kitty’s thoughts, she ended up only revealing her own. 

“Oh, Yana,” Kitty said softly as she kissed Illyana’s bare shoulder and then pulled away so she could look into her eyes again. “I thought you had realized,” she reached out and ran her hand down the side of her face as Illyana closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Kitty darkly scoffed. “But how could you have done that? It took me so many years to realized what I was feeling for you.”

“Years?” the Russian questioned quietly. 

Kitty nodded. “Yes,” she said as a few tears ran down her face, sliding over the purple bruise around her eye and getting caught in the bandage over her nose. “I don’t fucking know how I was so naïve, but it was never me. It was Bobby or Karma or Anole, but it could never be me. I don’t know why I thought that, but I did.”

Illyana leaned her head forward and buried her face in the side of Kitty’s neck. 

“I’m sorry I wasted so much of our time, Yana,” Kitty told her as she ran a through her hair and continued down her back. “We could have already had years together, but I fucked it all up.” 

A sob raked through Illyana and escaped through her mouth. She pressed her lips tightly together and pressed her face deeper into Katya’s shoulder. They stayed like that for a while and eventually got up and dressed. They took what limited food and non-alcoholic drinks from the fridge and consumed them in silence. Eventually Illyana followed Kitty up to the deck and found her leaning against the side of the ship and peering out into the ocean. The Russian went to stand beside her.

“Illyana,” Kitty called, breaking out her teacher, team leader voice, “what is it? What are you not telling me?” 

“I did just get out of prison and I did want to see you,” Illyana explained quickly. “But…I,” she slowed down significantly, “You went missing about a week ago.” 

“Fuck, you ported through time to be here?” Kitty accused her, standing up and throwing her arms out.

Illyana ignored her outburst. “The Quiet Council presumed you were dead. But Bishop, he had a feeling. He went searching for you and found you…your body in Madirpoor Bay four days ago. So, yes I ported through time, Katya. 

“So,” Kitty stated with a nervous nod as she let the Russian grasp her hand. “You are here to protect me? Just like everyone else.”

Illyana sighed heavily. “I know you have been feeling useless…no, that is not the right word. Vulnerable. And don’t try to deny that. You have not hidden it from Bobby or Storm, so you sure as hell are not hiding from me, Katya.”

Kate huffed as she took a swing of her whiskey bottle. “So, Krakoan tech? That’s what took me out, right?” 

Illyana nodded with a proud smirk. “As Bishop said it had to be. You are too good a sailor and mutant for it to be anything else.” 

Kate sighed heavily as she peered over the calm, blue water to the far-off horizon. “Fucking Krakoa. What the fuck did I do to piss off that island?” 

“Too much detention at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning?” Illyana stated with a shrug. 

Kate dipped her head and laughed. She lightly hit the taller woman on the shoulder. “Fuck off, Yana.” 

Illyana gave an amused scoff but then turned serious. “I know that you were annoyed that they were all so protective of you, but I would have been doing the same if I had been here. I mean, I know you know that, but it’s scary. The thought that immortality is possible, but—” 

“Just not for me,” Kate interrupted with a harsh shrug. 

Illyana peered at her for a moment until she met her eyes. “For the only person I’d want to spend it with.” 

Tears began to well in her eyes and she turned away from her to look out at the water. Kate reached over and softly took her hand in hers.

“What was a week ago for you?” Kate asked sounding like a team leader. 

“You told Storm and Bobby that they could go, and you would sail this ship to the Island of M yourself,” Illyana informed her. 

Kate darkly scoffed. “Fucking Drag Race,” she said shaking her head. “And nobody heard from me after that?” 

Illyana shook her head. “No,” she told her. “Not even Emma and the Cuckoos could reach you, which made them all think that you were…dead.” 

Kate took a long, deep breath and squeezed Illyana’s hand tightly. “So, for me sometime between yesterday and three days from now, I die.” 

“Don’t phase,” Illyana whispered quickly as she pulled Katya closed to her and encapsulated her in a hug. “I am not going to let that happen. I am not going to lose you, especially not now when I finally have a chance to have you.” 

“Yana,” Kate called softly shaking her head. 

“It’ll be fine,” the Krakoan champion stated seriously. “I will stay below deck or out of sight and when whatever happened starts to happen, I will help you stop it.”

Kate took a deep breath and stood up fully as she barely needed to look up at Illyana. “Okay, you can help me but not until I call for you. If this thing kills me, I don’t want to put you in harms way and get you killed instead. Agreed?” 

Illyana nodded. “Yes, Katya. I agree.”


	3. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Illyana discovers the Krakoan responsible for Kitty's death and reluctantly teams up with her boss to save her.

Illyana sat on the metal floor of the sleeping cabin Captain Pryde had claimed as hers. The sorceress began floating a few inches above the floor, deep in meditation and silent spell casting.  
Emma was in Arbor Magna but was standing back from Professor Xavier, the Five, and the cocoon that was holding Kitty’s body and supposedly attempting to bring her back. 

_“Miss Rasputin, I am impressed by your abilities. Through time and space,”_ Emma thought as she felt the younger mutant’s presence in her mind. _“What do you need to tell me?”_

_“I found her,”_ Illyana informed the telepath and Kitty’s current boss. 

_“Alive?”_ Emma questioned frantically turning her back to the others. 

_“Yes, but it is three days before Bishop found her in Madirpoor Bay.”_

Illyana could almost hear the White Queen’s sharp intake of breath through her mind. She had been told that Bishop let her see through her his eyes, so they had spotted…Katya’s lifeless body in the bay together. Illyana had never been all that fond of Emma, despite Kitty growing closer to her over the years. She wanted to tell her how much they agreed on the idea of keeping Kitty safe at all costs, but she couldn’t think of the right words. The Krakoan champion’s pledge would probably be appropriate since she was a member of a Quiet Council but Illyana could not remember the words. 

_“That is quite alright, Miss Rasputin,”_ Emma Frost answered in her mind. _“I appreciate the sentiment. I know you will do everything you can to keep Kate safe.”_

_“What would be the best thing for me to do?”_ Illyana asked. _“I mean according to the laws of Krakoa, I want this bastard whoever they are to pay for killing Katya, not only attempting to.”_

Emma peered over her shoulder at Xavier with his hand over his mouth as he peered sadly at the disheartened Five as they stood over the unchanged cocoon. Emma turned away and focused her mind back to Illyana’s presence. 

_“Let it go on for as long as you can,”_ Emma instructed her. _“Do you think you could reestablish this psi-link? Having another witness would certainly help us.”_

Illyana thought for a moment and took a deep breath as she contemplated something. _“What if I boosted it? Let you see through my eyes, like you did with Bishop.”_

_“Yes,”_ Emma replied sounding shocked, since usually Illyana did not even let her enter her mind. _“Illyana, that would be incredibly helpful.”_

 _“Good,”_ she answered quickly, feeling embarrassed. _“I will call you when it beings.”_

Illyana quickly broke the link and landed on the floor of Katya’s cabin. She groaned as she leaned back and laid on Kitty’s floor. She knew that spell was going to be a strain, but her head was hurting much more than she thought it would. She closed her eyes and took a few long, deep breaths. She thought she could hear faint footsteps. Maybe Kitty was coming to find her? Her mind wandered excitedly for a moment as she thought of all the opportunities that could create. 

Then she heard a muffled blamm that sounded like it was coming from above her. She shot to her feet and sprinted out of the room and into the hallway. She pulled her soulsword from her chest and her armor formed down her arm as she raced up the stairs to the door that led to the deck. She cracked it slightly but slowed for a moment and peered through its small window. 

“Hello, Kitty. I’ve brought some Krakoan seeds I think you’ll find very interesting,” Illyana heard Sebastian Shaw gloat at Kitty just beyond the door. 

_“Emma,”_ Illyana yelled in her mind. 

The White Queen nearly collapsed on the pathway outside of Arbor Magna leading to Hellfire Bay because of how loud the sorceress had yelled. She took a moment to catch her breath and began walking again. _“That was rather fast, Miss Rasputin.”_

 _“It’s Shaw,”_ Illyana told her. 

Emma exhaled angrily. _“The father or the son?”_

_“See for yourself,”_ Illyana stated before opening up her mind more than she ever had before. 

“You’re going to end up sleeping next to Sabertooth,” Kate shot at Shaw. 

“I very much doubt that” Shaw smirked. 

“Wh-what the hell?!” Kate called as the vines twisted tighter and harder around her legs and were getting closer to her waist. She yelled as she struggled against them.

 _“What is that?”_ Emma questioned. 

_“Krakoan seeds,”_ Illyana replied. _“Bishop was right.”_ She began to push through the door. 

_“No!”_ Emma called. _“Illyana, wait.”_

Illyana stopped and groaned to herself frustrated but knew Emma was right. They needed more evidence than this. 

“We do,” Emma told her with a sense of compassion Illyana had not been expecting. “I am sorry to put you through this. But you are going to stop it.” 

Illyana nodded. _“Da.”_

“You care about a second Quiet Council seat this much?!” Kate shouted as she attempted to cut the Krakoan vines with her sword to no avail. 

“Absolutely,” Shaw said as he kicked the sword out of Kate’s hand. He picked up the rope net he had caught Lockheed in and held the dragon over the edge of the ship. “I will need it to acquire my third council seat.” He dropped the captured dragon into the water. 

_“No!”_ Illyana accidentally yelled to Emma just as Kitty yelled it in desperation on the deck beyond the door. 

Illyana focused for a moment to form a stepping disc low enough into the water that Shaw would not see it. The unconscious, soaking wet, tangled up dragon appeared on the step beside her. 

“You stupid dragon, don’t have died on me,” Illyana said down at him frantically as she torn open the rope net and placed her hands on him. 

“Shaw! I give up! I’ll give you my seat! Save Lockheed!” Kitty tearfully yelled. 

Lockheed cawed awake and shot a bit of fire at Illyana as she finished her spell. She laughed in relief down at the dragon as she patted out the flames on her uniform sleeve. Lockheed almost instantly flew back to the deck. 

“Wait!” Illyana called as she grabbed him and pulled him back. “We are saving her, we just need to wait for the right moment.”

“I’m afraid not. Now I must return to business and you have somewhere to be,” Shaw called at Kitty.

Illyana heard a metallic beep before the entire boat shook. She and Lockheed struggled to steady themselves for a moment. Water began to quickly rush onto the stairs. Illyana quickly pulled the down closed. 

_“Fuck ,the lower decks are already underwater. I have going to have to port up to get her,”_ Illyana thought out loud to Emma. 

_“Miss Rasputin, that soulsword connection thing you have with Katherine, could you think about that for a moment?”_ Emma instructed her. 

_“Yes,”_ Illyana answered and instantly focused her mind on it despite her confusion. 

_“Thank you, darling,”_ Emma replied. _“I have linked to her mind, but she has not detected us. Talk a listen.”_

“They’ll bring me back,” Kate screamed as Shaw as the vines connecting her to the deck of her stinking ship went underneath the water. 

“Whatever quirk of your powers stops you for using the portals likely keeps you out of the Resurrection Protocols. Why else would your friends be guarding you like precious treasure?” Shaw monologued at Kitty. He continued going on and on and how she was a weakness on all mutantdom, how he was the best possible leader of the Hellfire Trading Company, and other such nonsense. Though Emma was taking note of his every word, Illyana was just waiting for him to stop talking. For that meant he was leaving, and she could port into the water above her and safe Kitty. 

“I will live again only to kill you – and when I return, you will beg for my blade,” Kitty taunted with her last breath. 

“Perhaps Kitty, but not today,” Shaw stated from the deck of his ship, sounding pleased with himself. 

_“Now!”_ Emma and Illyana thought together. 

Illyana quickly formed a stepping disc around her and Lockheed. They appeared in the salty waters of Madripoor Bay only long enough for Illyana to wrap her arms around Kitty and port them into her bedroom in the Red Keep on Krakoa. 

“Katya!” Illyana called frantically as the three of them landed on the red patterned carpet. Illyana turned her oldest friend, the only person she had ever loved over so she could see her face. It was too pale, too lifeless. _“Nyet, nyet, nyet!_ Katya, Katya!” Illyana called as she shook her. 

Lockheed shot a small puff of fire at Illyana as he clawed at Kitty’s shoulder with his claw. Illyana ignored the dragon and placed her hand on Kitty’s chest, hoping the healing spell would be enough. There were better healers on Krakoa but she could not find them fast enough. 

Kitty sharply inhaled and began coughing violently as she sat up, leaning forward so much that Illyana caught her in her arms and supported her as she coughed over her shoulder. 

“It’s okay, Katya,” Illyana told her softly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe. Everything is fine now.” 

Kitty was still painfully gasping for breath but pushed her face into Illyana’s shoulder and neck. “S-Shaw.” 

Illyana hugged her closer. “I know, Katya. I was there. I saw the whole thing. So did Emma and Lockheed.” 

“Bastard has to pay,” Kitty chocked out. 

“He will,” Illyana promised. “We’ll make sure of that.”


	4. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kitty is united with everyone waiting for her on Krakoa and they hatch a plan to make Shaw pay for murdering her.

Kitty seemed to spend her last gasp of coherent energy on her declaration of revenge. She instantly began struggling for breath and shaking against Illyana’s shoulder. 

“Let’s get you in bed,” Illyana whispered softly as she put her arms around her and lifted her onto the bed. “These clothes are all wet. You need dry ones,” Illyana thought aloud.

Lockheed began to spit small flames in Kitty’s direction. 

“Not like that, you stupid dragon,” Illyana scolded him. 

Kitty broke into laughter. “Will both of you calm down,” she instructed them. “I’m fine,” she stated despite her shivering. “Eve-everything is fine.” Her voice broke and she leaned her head into her hands and began to cry.

Illyana wrapped her around her shoulders. Lockheed wrapped himself around her neck. 

The door burst open and the three of them jumped apart. Kitty simply peered at Emma Frost standing frantically in entrance to her bedroom. 

“She helped me save you,” Illyana told her. “I—it wouldn’t have been possible without her.” 

“Whoa, okay,” Kitty stated shaking her head in disbelief. “My death had the two of you bonding. This all very fucking weird.” 

Emma silently walked across the room and hugged her. “I have spent countless hours watching the Five fail to resurrect you, Katherine. I believe that should be counted as a valid reason to partner with your demonic, style-less girlfriend.” 

Illyana scoffed though she was silently amused by the barring. 

Kitty pulled herself back from Emma and placed her hands on her shoulders. “It was Shaw. Sebastian Shaw. He’s trying to take over the Spring seats.”

Emma nodded with a frustrated look. “I know,” she stated angrily. “We heard everything he said to you on the ship and he has not exactly been subtle in the recent council meeting.”

Illyana shook her head in shock. “So, did you know before I went back that he killed Katya?” 

Emma took a deep breath and shot her a sad expression. “No, Miss Rasputin. I did not. I do not know how he did it, but he was blocking his mind from me. I should have thought more of it at the time, but he does it so often around me.” 

“Kitty!” a voice yelled from the hallway but also echoed in each of their minds.

“Ray!” Kitty called excited as Rachel swiftly turned the corner into her bedroom and ran toward her. Kitty enveloped her in a hug and watched over her shoulder as her entire crew plus Dani, Rahne, and Wolverine entered her room. 

Illyana stepped back to let everyone embrace Kitty individual. Lockheed seemed to eventually get annoyed by the constant interruptions to his time with Kitty and flew over to Illyana.  
Dani seemingly appeared at Illyana’s side. “I knew you could do it,” her teammate informed her with a hint of smugness.

Illyana huffed loudly to cover her rising emotions. “You and your dog were a good motivator.” 

“She was asleep, Yana,” Dani shot at her annoyed. “She doesn’t even remember saying that.” 

Bobby leaned in to hug Kitty after Rahne. “I’d de-ice but I don’t think anyone can handle the hotness under all this.” 

“How was Drag Race, you selfish asshole?” Kitty joked at him and hit him on the shoulder as he pulled away from her.

Bobby dramatically clenched his heart. “It was a truly transformative experience. I will tell you all about it later.” 

Kitty laughed as Storm shook her head in annoyance. Everyone was silent for a moment and Kitty peered around the room at the group of probably everyone on Krakoa who truly cared about her. 

“I know you all have been mourning me for a few days,” Kate stated to the room with a pointed look at Bishop. 

_Captain/teacher voice,_ Illyana thought to herself amused. 

“But Sebastian Shaw, the Black King, a member of the Quiet Council tried to kill me,” she continued. 

“No,” Illyana chimed in from her position on the wall parallel to Kitty’s bed. Everyone turned to look at her. “No, Katya, not attempted. I waited long enough. He thought he killed you. Emma was there. She is our proof.” 

“What?” Kitty stated in a small voice filled with fear and shook. 

Emma took a deep breath from the end of Kitty’s bed before she answered. “Illyana is right, Kate. I heard his excited thoughts when he thought he achieved it. Also, the Cuckoos have been monitoring all conversations between him and his son. Sebastian began gloating to Shinobi almost immediately.”

“So, what are we waitin’ for then?” Rahne asked the crowded room. 

“Yeah,” Wolverine grunted in agreement as he leaned against the wall near the door. “Bastard’s as well as confessed.” 

Emma sighed in annoyance as she shook her head at Wolverine. 

“We’d have to bring him before the Quiet Council,” Illyana informed everyone. She had thought this over so many times on her own. 

Bobby threw up his hands dismissively. “So, like Sabertooth? Banished forever to the bowels of Krakoa. That sounds pretty good to me.” 

“Though I am forced to agree, Bobby,” Storm stated from her seat at the foot of the bed. “It will not be as simple. Shaw is a member of the Quiet Council.” 

“What that got ta do wit’ anythin’?” Pyro questioned. 

“It’s untested territory,” Dani explained. “Nobody from the council has been accused of anything yet. There is no precedent for this.”

“I would assume,” Emma began sounding exasperated, “that we would need to get him off the council and charge him as a regular Krakoan citizen.”

“How would be do that?” Rahne questioned. 

“We vote him off,” Kitty stated confidently from her bed. 

The room fell silent for a moment. 

“You sound very certain about that, kitten,” Storm stated. 

“Ain’t like half the council in this room right now?” Pyro questioned. 

Bobby shrugged. “Not that many. But a good amount, we’d have to flip…what three? Maybe four people?” 

“Drake’s right,” Wolverine chimed in. “Our side’s already got Frost, Kitty, ‘roro, and the elf.” 

“I would count in Jean as well,” Storm added. 

Kitty groaned uncertainly. 

Storm leaned toward her. “She has displaced Jean’s memories, kitten.” 

Kitty laughed. “That doesn’t mean she liked me. I was just her hard-ass teacher.” 

Illyana smirked in remembrance. 

“Uhmm,” Bobby uttered as he shrugged his shoulders. “You weren’t that hard-ass. I’d count Jean in.” 

“So, two then?” Bishop stated seriously. “We need to get two people to believe us to vote Shaw out.” 

“Mystique,” Rachel blurted loudly, and everyone turned to look at her. “She’ll turn. I didn’t mean to be listening, but it was hard not to. Xavier and Magento won’t bring Destiny back and they aren’t giving her a reason why.” 

Emma shot her a pleased smirked. “Okay,” she confidently nodded and turned to face Kate. “Who else?” 

“Krakoa?” Dani questioned. “He was a student at your school and if we are communicating with him through Cypher, it shouldn’t be hard.” 

“Mister Sinister is an agent of chaos,” Bobby pointed out. “Voting members off the council, charging them with murder? Pretty chaotic.”

“And Apocalypse,” Kitty added. 

“What?!” multiple people shouted at once. 

Kitty huffed at the group of people assembled in her bedroom. “I think he would go for it. I’ve worked with him before during that whole X-Man thing.” 

“So, it decided then?” Wolverine questioned. “We trying to flip Krakoa, Sinister, and Apocalypse.” 

“Yes,” Kitty instructed, in a demanding tone that made Illyana smile. She sounded just as at home leading the X-men as Illyana always thought she had. “Okay, I’m dead so I have to stay here. But the rest of you should split up and convince each of the targets. Agreed?” 

Everyone nodded or voiced their agreement. 

“Thank you all for doing this. Truly,” Kitty stated. The room was tensely silent for a moment and then she began. “Dani, Rahne, Ray, and Storm, I want you going to talk to Krakoa and Doug. Yana, Bishop, Emma, go talk to Apocalypse. Bobby, Pyro, and Wolverine, you guys go after Sinister.” 

“Ai, ai, Captain,” Pyro said with a salute. 

“Copy, Gold Leader,” Bobby chimed in.

Kitty scoffed and shook her head. “Go,” she told them. “I’ll see all of you at the next council meeting.” 

Illyana remained leaning against her wall as everyone else cleared out of the room. 

“You enjoyed that,” Illyana stated with a smug expression as she stayed in her spot. 

Kitty shook her head at her annoyed. “What? Sending people out to fight my battles for me because I got drowned by fucking Sebastian Shaw?” 

“No,” Illyana told her as she rolled her shoulders off the wall and walked over to her bed. She sat by Kitty’s hip as the other mutant leaned back against the headboard with her arms tightly crossed against her chest. 

Illyana spotted the vulnerability behind the closed off stance. Maybe the black eye and broken nose were exaggerating it. She leaned in and kissed her. She placed her hand on the back of her neck and felt the still wet collar of her shirt. 

“Damnit, Katya,” Illyana stated more annoyed with herself. “You are still in these wet clothes. I’ll get you dry ones.” 

She began to get up, but Kitty placed her hands around her arms and pulled her down. “No, Yana. Don’t go. Please just stay here with me. Lock will get them. Won’t you, buddy?” 

He chawed at her in annoyance but flew over to her dresser anyway.

“I meant leading,” Illyana explained, feeling awkward since too much time had passed. “You enjoyed leading, the Marauders, the X-men. You’re a good leader, so nobody feels that they’ve been sent out to fight for you. They are fighting because of you. They all want to protect you because they believe in you.” 

“Do you believe that?” Kitty questioned Illyana. 

The Russian laughed. “No. I don’t need to believe that. Meeting you was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you and I never want anything bad to ever happen to you. So, I’m not going to let it.” Illyana paused as a few tears escaped her eyes. “Not again.” 

Kitty choked for a moment on the sob in her throat and then pulled Illyana into a tight hug.


	5. The Convincing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The various X-men split into teams to help convince the Quiet Council to charge Shaw with Kitty's murder, while Kitty makes a deal with an unlikely ally.

"Hi, guys,” Doug said excited from a throne-like chair Krakoa had seemingly constructed for him. “Did you have some sort of speech planned? I would be interested in hearing it.” 

Rachel sighed as Dani crossed her arms against her chest annoyed. Storm lowered herself to the ground and Rahne, who had transformed to track Cipher’s scent, returned to her human formed beside Dani.

“How’d ya know we’d be comin’?” Rahne asked. 

“Because Kitty is alive,” Doug stated certainly. 

“How’d you know that?” Rachel questioned fiercely. 

His throne raised and moved slightly closer to them. Dani and Rachel took an instinctive step back. 

“There are two Kitty’s,” Doug stated for Krakoa. “One in Arbor Magna and one in the Red Keep. Krakoa feels everyone here alive or dead.” 

Doug watched the defeated look cover Storm’s face. 

“Don’t worry, Storm,” he replied. “She is alive now.” 

“Now, Doug,” Dani pointed out firmly to her teammate. “That’s why we’re here to talk to you. Shaw killed Kitty, but Yana saved her.”

Doug shook his head in disgust and looked like he was tasting it as well. “Sebastian, right?” 

“Yes,” Dani added. 

Doug nodded. “He took something off the island intending it to be a weapon. Krakoa is disgusted with him, can’t think about him in any other way.” Doug heaved. “Uh, god, I’m going to hurl from translating.” 

“Ew,” Rahne commented. 

“That is probably good for us, child,” Storm stated, turning her attention to Doug. “We need to vote him off the council to try him for murder. Will Krakoa side with us?” 

Doug looked visibly sick. “Yes,” he uttered. “100 fucking percent.” 

“Good,” Rachael stated. “Mission accomplished. I’m leaving this disgusting nonsense,” she added as she turned to walked away.

In the forest on the other side of Krakoa, Bobby and Pryo were arguing about which Hollywood supervillain Sinister’s house would be modeled after. It had been a longer walk than Logan had thought, and it seemed neither of them ever stopped talking.

“Jesus will the two of you just fuck again and spare me this banter,” Wolverine grumbled at them as they finally found the path of diamond shaped stones leading to Mister Sinister’s Krakoan dwelling.

“Dude!” Bobby called at him anxiously, thankful that nobody could see the blush under his ice form. But how was he going to tell Logan that this was not the Pyro he had slept with at Kitty’s “wedding.”

“Oh, so you haven’t yet?” Logan grumbled as he pushed past them down the path. “Coulda fooled me.” 

Bobby sighed in relief, but spotted Pyro peering at him in shock. “Just ignore him. He doesn’t know anything about relationships.” 

“Because he is some sort of feral rodent?” Pyro questioned. 

Bobby laughed. “That and that he tends to only fall for married women,” Bobby added. 

Wolverine nearly growled over his shoulders as he banged on Sinister’s door. 

“Oh right, so we’ve made him angry, now?” Pyro jokingly asked Bobby.

Sinister smirked as he opened the door. “Well, well, well,” he stated pleased as he leaned against the doorframe. “This is certainly a tastier meal than DoorDash promised.”

Wolverine instantly marched inside past him. 

“Excellent joke,” Bobby told him as he walked past him. “But I’m going to need you to confirm if they actually reach here or not.”

“Priorities, Mr. Freeze,” Pyro called as he slapped Bobby on the shoulder as he stepped into Sinister’s home but stood rather close to him. “Our captain was killed by the Black King of the Hellfire Club. Sebastian Shaw, a member of the Quiet Council like you. We are hoping to vote him off and charge him with murder. Are you in?” 

Sinister appeared to contemplate for a split second. “Why not?” he answered with a shrug. 

“What?!” Bobby questioned. “Just like that?” 

“Sure,” Sinister repeated with another shrug. “I assumed the Red Queen was dead. Emma has been acting ever so strangely recently, especially toward the Black King. So, what a fun development. I am all in for whatever you are planning.” 

“Okay,” Wolverine stated as he headed to the door. “Easier than I thought it would be. See you at the next council meeting.”

Kitty and Lockheed both jumped awake out of their afternoon nap as the door to the Red Keep’s main bedroom burst open. 

“What the fuck, Yana?” Kitty called as she sat up and rubbed the non-injured parts of her face. “You’re supposed to be with Emma and Bishop. What are you doing here?” 

Illyana peered at her strangely for a moment. 

Kitty scoffed and shook her head. “I can tell you’re not her.” 

Illyana sighed loudly and transformed into Mystique. “I wasn’t trying very hard.” 

“Yeah, I got that. Why?” 

Mystique draped herself over the armchair near the foot of Kitty’s bed. “I should be asking you why. Numerous psychics have been leaving little hints that you are alive in my mind for days. I decided to come see for myself. Why?” 

Kitty sighed and rolled her shoulder. “Shaw…Sebastian Shaw killed me. Technically. Illyana ported through time and saved me before he actually did, but he thinks that he did. We need to vote him off the council to charge him.” 

Mystique raised her eyebrows at her still confused. 

Kitty shrugged. “We thought you would side with us. Prestige thought you would side with us.” 

Mystique simply peered at her uncomfortably, compelling her to explain further. She didn’t want to lie to her but was too worried about the consequences to actually tell her the truth. 

“One of my students,” Kitty began to explain. “Blindfold, Ruth. She isn’t here. And from what everyone keeps telling me, I’m the only person this island refuses to bring back.”

Mystique was peering at her like something was beginning to click in her mind.

“So not bringing her back was a choice,” Kitty explained. “Once I realized she wasn’t here I started noticing that other precogs also aren’t here. Your wife among them.”

“I’ve tried,” Mystique stated seriously. “And failed. She warned me about this, a long time ago. Said we would all live on some sort of island utopia, but if they refused to bring her back, I should burn the whole thing to the ground.”

“Whoa okay,” Kitty uttered as she swallowed nervously. This was certainly a new addition to the charging-Shaw-with-murder plan. “Well, all the more reason to disrupt the power of the council,” Kitty added with an uncertain shrug.

The older mutant glared at her. “You aren’t planning some sort of Hellfire Club take over, are you?” 

“Hellfire Trading Company,” Kate corrected. “But no. Shaw committed a fucking murder. We need him off the board if Krakoa is ever going to work as a government or as a concept.” 

Mystique thought for a moment. “Fine,” she stated firmly. “I’ll side with you. But once this is all over, I want you to support me in arguing to bring precogs back.” 

Kate nodded. “Of course, I will. Regardless of the consequences.”

Mystique cocked an eyebrow at her. 

Kate shrugged. “She’s your wife, what would she have gained by lying to you about that?” She looked down as Lockheed climbed into her lap. “Plus,” she added shaking her head. “Nobody even told anyone I was presumed dead. I’ve spent more time in the outside world than anyone else. Not everything has been as utopian as it seems. Maybe we need to set some fires.”

“Good,” she stated as she quickly stood. “I hope this works out for you, Kitty. A backfire could be dangerous.” 

“Yeah,” Kitty replied with a breathy nod. “I know.”


End file.
